A Troubling Encounter
by Hiyamix3
Summary: Most people would say that her life is nothing what they wish for themselves, but for her it only becomes complicated once a certain man steps into her life. Is he the one who can change her? Or does he bring trouble? Warning: violence, torture, language, smut
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! This is my first fanfiction and I hope you like it :D  
English is not my native language, so feel free to correct me if something is bothering you!  
The next chapter will be longer!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.**

 **WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

 **15 Years ago**

 _It was a cold night and the snow in the city sparkled in the moonlight. In a small house, near a river, one could hear the sound of a hammer and the laugh of a children who played inside._

 _Beside the house were three men who discussed something, but they whispered so that nobody could hear them. After a while, they broke the door and stormed inside. In front of them was a man with a hammer near a table, he was shocked and confused and wherefore he let go of the hammer and stepped back. Behind him, his wife and daughter came through the door and froze on the spot._

" _What are you doing inside our house?!" The father said and hid his family behind his back, to protect them from the strangers._

" _You have something what we need. If you want to survive this night, you should do what we say!" one man with baldness and a big stomach said, while he pulled a gun out. The mother let a small scream out and went down to hide her daughter from the men._

" _I will do whatever you want from me, but please, don't kill us!" the father said and began to shake. The little girl looked confused to her father and then to the three men. What was happening? Why was her mother crying and her father shaking?_

 _She looked to the other two men who were silent and noticed that both of them wore black coats which hid their faces._

" _Where is the puppet with the long blonde hair which you brought from the market this morning? It is something important to us and if you give it back, maybe I will spare your beautiful wife." The chubby man said and let his tongue glide over his lips. His lewd eyes inspected the woman and he laughed devilish._

 _The fathers eyes widened and cold sweat dropped from his forehead. He pointed to the table where he stood before the men came in. On the table there was a small doll with golden curls and a nice red dress. The intruder nodded shortly, put the gun back in his belt and picked the hammer from the floor up. He went to the doll and with one heavy hit he destroyed the dolls head into pieces. The sound was sudden and loud and the parents winced._

 _At this moment the 4 years old girl realised that something was terribly wrong and she was terrified as never before. Her mother patted the girls head but she didn't noticed it, she only watched in horror and was afraid of the hammer which took the dolls life._

 _The chubby man took the body of the doll and turned it around. At the spot, there the head was supposed to be, many diamonds began to fall out. It felt like years as the family waited for a reaction of the strangers, but the man just stood there and looked at the treasure. Finally he turned around and smirked at the father._

" _You made all these dolls in this room, right?" he asked and the father, who was still terrified, only nodded. With one hand the stranger ran through the diamonds an with the other he picked the dolls body up._

" _You know, this is really handy!" he exclaimed with joy "with these dolls we could smuggle all our goods without getting caught: diamonds, gold, drugs and maybe even weapons! Who would control little puppets?" he walked to the father and hold his hand out "Ready for a deal?"_

 _With one glance to the gun the father knew that he had no choice and took the sweaty hand of the other man in his own one._

 _Even the little girl knew that their lives would never be the same again._

* * *

 **Today**

It is a cold night and the snow in the city sparkles in the moonlight. These kind of days remember me of the past, a time in my life that only seems blurry now. I walk on the road and pass many stalls which sell decorations for Christmas or food. Parents with their kids are everywhere and near a Christmas tree sat a man with red clothes and a white beard, a queue of kids right beside him.

"Lady Mirana please wait for me!" a small voice shouts.

I turn around and see my attendant a few steps behind me. I stop and watch how she runs towards me. The wind blows through her brown curls and her big eyes stare at me so that she doesn't lose me in the crowd. In her hands is a small bag which she presses to herself as if she was afraid to lose it. This girl always remembers me of a certain doll which my father bought me once for my birthday, but that one had golden curls. Now the doll is the content of my nightmares.

"Watch your steps Mishima, it's slippery." I say shortly and start to walk again as my attendant reached me.

"Are we heading home now, Milady?" Mishima asks and let her eyes glide over the stalls, fascinated by the many lights she sees.

"Yeah, it's getting cold" I tell her as I notice her red nose and cheeks.

Mishima only nods and together we leave the Christmas market. After ten minutes we reach a big gate which my attendant opens as we stood before it. Together we walk trough it and follow a path towards a tall building. On both sides of the path there is a long rose hedge so that you had to follow it. Behind the hedge was a big area and normally flowers would bloom there, but at the moment the grass was beneath one meter high snow, it was the coldest winter since a long, long time ago.

Soon we arrived at a enormous building. Most people would say that all this is like a palace, like those in the stories children love to read and hope to come true, but little do they know that the original fables are brutal and only were changed so that children would not be afraid.

But this one was not changed, it is dark and terrifying. Because only few know that behind these doors, one of the most powerful man at the black market lives – my father.

 _Not that I care_ , I think. _I accepted my fate a long time ago._

And with these thoughts in mind, Mishima and I go through the door into the darkness.

* * *

Note: Hisoka will appear in the next chapter, so stay tuned! :3


	2. Chapter 2

In this chapter Hisoka appears, hope you like it! ^-^

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.**

 **WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

"Please wake up Lady Mirana, it's morning and the sun is shining!" a happy voice chirps.

Soon the room is filled with light as the curtain from the window is pulled to the side. I turn around and hide my face from the toxic sunlight. It was too much. The whole night I couldn't sleep because of all these stupid thoughts inside my head and now my annoying attendant disturbs my finally peaceful sleep, where did my luck go?

"Your father wishes to see you." the voice said and suddenly all the happiness vanished.

Slowly I sit up and open my eyes. It is still too bright in this room and they start to hurt, but I ignore the instinct to close them. Instead I observe every movement Mishima is making. She is standing at the right side of my bed and next to a big window where she removed the curtains just a moment ago. Her eyes are fixating the floor and she is playing with her apron from the typical black/white maid dress that all attendants wear. It is not difficult to know that she feels distressed.

"What happened?" I ask and her head rises to look at me. "And don't tell me that nothing occurred, it is written all over your face."

As if being caught she avoids my stare again. "Actually it seems that the master noticed our leaving. When we came home last night and you went to sleep, Sebastian ordered me into his office."

Sebastian is the head of our attendants and maintains the order. He is an old man who strictly follows every wish my father utters, price and moral don't matter. Every attendant seems to fear him and I can only guess the reason for this.

"You are not allowed to tell me more details about your conversation or how he punished you, right?"

"No, I greatly apologize!" Mishima shouts and bows down to me.

"I assumed this much, don't worry about it." With these words I leave my bed and stretch my muscles. "Are you supposed to guide me to my father?"

"Yes, Milady."

"Fine, you can wait here while I am getting dressed. It won't take long."

"As you wish Milady."

At the left side of my bed there is a big wardrobe which I open. It is filled with different clothes, from casual clothing to formal dresses. I pick the typical combination: a jeans, a long shirt which was plain black, black chucks and underwear. I don't like bright colours because they attract attention and I prefer to be ignored.

I walk to the bathroom which is connected to my room and step inside. To the left there is a shower and behind it a bathtub which could be misunderstood for a pool. Turning to the right side I stop in front of a sink with a mirror. My black hair, which reaches till my shoulders, is completely messy and my chocolate brown eyes red from the lack of sleep. I sigh stressed and with a hairbrush I try to rescue my appearance. After a little struggling I finally brush my teeth, change my clothes and go back to where Mishima is waiting for me.

"Are you ready Milady?"

I nod and she opens the door for me. Together we leave my bedroom and follow a long corridor. At some point we pass a staircase that goes down to the entrance hall, but I ignore it and keep going forward.

"I'm really sorry." Mishima mutters suddenly and I look at her. "It is my fault that your father is upset, I don't know how to make this up to you."

I gently smile at her and touch her shoulder. "And again you shouldn't worry about it Mishima. It was my decision to go to the Christmas market with you to buy a present for you boyfriend. You attendants spend all your time in this mansion and I just wanted to help you out. Hopefully your loved one will like it."

With these words we finally reach a giant wooden door. "Thank you Milady, I hope that your father can forgive us." she whispers, bows down and leaves me alone.

I inhale sharply. It would be great if he would listen to my explanation and then dismiss me, but that's not how things work for this family. I knock at the door and enter the room.

* * *

Once my father was a wonderful man. He loved to create new dolls and sometimes I sat beside him to watch him doing his work. We laughed. We dressed the dolls. We played with them. These memories are the only clear ones from the past, after all I was only four years old and with nineteen it was difficult to hold on to these happy memories.

After the men broke into our house we had to work for them. First my father tried to protect my mother and me from this dangerous world of the black market, but time passed and he made connections so he could free our family from those chains.

Sadly he was not longer my dear father. He was obsessed with money and now he knew all the ways and steps to build a terrifying organisation. My mother fell into depression and didn't talk for a long time. At the end the insane words of my father affected her and she supported him all the way. Somehow I managed to maintain a little bit sanity, but I am far away from a normal girl.

As I opened the door the inside of the room slowly appears before my eyes. In front of me there is a brown table in the middle of the place and beside it two black couches. My glance slowly wanders to the back where my father sits in his chair and his cold grey eyes notices me as I closed the door.

To my surprise he isn't alone. Before his desk stands a tall man with long black hair and green clothes.

"You are finally here Mirana." my father says with his deep voice and turns to his guest again. "I would like to defer our conversation until later, now I have to talk to my daughter."

"As you wish. But don't forget my words Nakamura." And with this the stranger turns around and comes towards me.

But why is he not ignoring me? Instead he stares into my eyes and I couldn't turn away from the darkness that I see in them. Girls would say that this man is attractive, especially because of the long black hair, but everything inside of me screams that this person is dangerous. Very dangerous.

"Please hold your bloodthirst back Illumi, I don't want my attendants rushing into my office." my father says annoyed and with a frown. All of the sudden the frightening atmosphere vanishes and I could breath again.

"I just wanted to see if your daughter would run out of the room but it seems that she is not an ordinary young girl."

"Our whole family is not ordinary." my father responds annoyed. All this will not benefit my conversation with my father, today he really is pissed. I silently thanked this Illumi person, now he really destroyed this beautiful sunny day. Instantly he was unlikeable to me, no wonder my father wants him to leave.

"Truthfully." Illumi whispers and leaves the room.

 _Hopefully I will never see him again_ , I think and place myself right in front of my father who still sits in his chair.

"You wanted to see me, father?" my voice is completely emotionless, just how my father prefers it.

"That's right. Yesterday you and one of our servants left the mansion without permission. Tell me, why did you leave?" he demands to know and slowly stands up to walk to a book case to look at his collection.

Servants. That's how he names everyone who works for us. I hate the way he says it, full of disrespect and hatred as if they were lower living beings. Because of that I never use this word, one of the only forms of rebellion I could muster in these years.

"She wanted to buy a present for her boyfriend, so I allowed her to escort me to the Christmas market. It was my request which she couldn't decline." lying is not an option, I had to tell my father the truth, otherwise things would only get more complicated.

"Mirana, you know that servants are not allowed to leave this building. This is the third time in this month and you still keep doing it." Slowly he comes in my direction.

"I am really sad. Maintaining order is a difficult task if somebody falls out of the system." Now he stands two feet away from me and looks down to me. "Today I will observe your training. I will await you in the training room in ten minutes, try to be on time."

The training room. Exactly what I expected. With a simple nod I turn around, leave the office and walk to the direction of the said room.

I let out a sigh. Finally I could relax a bit, this encounter with the stranger nearly destroyed my composure and the talk with my father didn't help me at all. I really hate to speak to him. Today the training will be stricter and this is something that really bothers me, especially when my father trains me, but I know that I can handle every task my father will give me, so I will be fine.

* * *

The sun is setting and the cold wind blows through my hair. I walk down the streets in our neighbourhood and roll my left shoulder with a frown. It really hurts from the training today and the other parts of my body are not in a better condition. After training I always leave for a walk to breath the fresh air and to clear my thoughts, but suddenly I was disturbed by a gun shot and loud screams.

I stop my walk and listen to the sounds that comes from the right. After a few seconds all screaming and shooting stopped and silent filled the place.

I have three choices: Turn around and hurry home, take a different route or to go to where the sounds came from. The third one was probably the most stupid one, but I am curious and so I walk to the right.

I go around a corner and before my eyes is a stair that leads higher to a park. Normally the steps would be white because of the thick snow but now they have a bright red colour to them. Almost everywhere motionless bodies lie on the stairs and their throats have deep cuts where the blood pours out.

At a railing a man with red hair and strange white clothes with symbols of a card game sits. He immediately notices me and before I can react he stands before me and I can feel something sharp pressing against my throat.

"What an unlucky little kitten you are. Since you saw me I will have to kill you, I hope you don't mind that." the stranger says with a smirk. The sunset shines behind him and surrounds us with red light.

After I realised what happened I slowly start to breath again. He was so fast that I couldn't see him and that really surprised me. But I can hold my composure and react on instinct.

"I understand. But since I will die here, will you tell me the reason why you killed these men? I am really interested." I stare in his eyes without flinching away from him. It was my own fault that my curiosity brought me in this situation, so I had to take the consequences.

He raises an eyebrow. "I killed them because that is what I do. I am an assassin. Normally I would have played with them a bit longer, but the strongest one was only 20 points worthy and that is really too boring." he explains with a shrug as if it is the most normal thing in the world.

"Points?" I ask him a bit confused.

"That's right. I love to give my opponents a rating which is based on their strength." he smirks as if he is remembering something. This man really is crazy. And dangerous. And somehow a bit creepy.

"So you are strong?" I change the topic and tilt my head a little bit. Now I could feel how a drop of blood is running my throat down, but it didn't bother me. The man before me was more interesting than a small scratch.

The stranger only smiles. With his left hand he lets a playing card appear in the air and with one smooth move he throws the card towards a small tree. The card cut through it and with a loud sound the tree drops onto the ground.

"Okay you are strong. Didn't know that a playing card could do such a thing."

"Oh I am a magician and something like this is not difficult for me. By the way, you shouldn't underestimate me, I am really going to kill you little girl." he says with a wink, but I could see some kind of hesitation in his golden eyes.

Just what does this strange man think? He could have killed me a long time ago but instead he talks to me. Does this benefit him? I really don't get it. But who understands crazy talk from crazy people?

"I know, I could tell from the beginning. You also said that before, if you can remember." I remind him. "But one last question please. What is your name? I want to know how to name the person who will take my life."

"Hisoka." he responses to my question. His smile completely disappeared and he frowns in confusion. "Are you not afraid?"

This question somehow baffles me. Am I afraid? No, not really. As a daughter of a black man, that's how we call the five most powerful men at the black market, I know that I could be kidnapped and killed anytime. I have trained enough to judge others and with him I know that death will be quick and without much pain. So I tell him the truth.

"No I am not. Now we should get this over with, I am sure you have something better to do than talking to me." I tell him in a neutral tone.

Suddenly something in his golden eyes sparkles and his smile reappears on his face. Did I say something wrong?

"Actually I am still bored and here is no one around to play with me." now he removes the sharp card from my throat and I look at him in completely confusion. "So entertain me."

Okay. I really did say something wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

Happy New Year everyone! :) **  
Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.  
WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

"You are joking, right?" I shake my head, completely overwhelmed by his words.

"No." he says with a big grin on his face.

"That can't be true. The moment I don't look at you, you will cut my throat while laughing, won't you?"

"No." he repeats his answer, clearly amused by the situation.

"So you are not going to kill me?" I can't believe my ears.

"That's right."

With these words my composure finally broke into pieces. Only a few feet away a killer is standing and looking at me. I caught him murder all these men, he told that he will kill me and I already said goodbye to this disgusting world and now? He changed his mind?! Is he kidding me?!

"If that's the case I will go home now." I say annoyed and turn around to walk away.

"Fine by me. I am really interested where this little kitten lives." he hums to himself, following me with amusement. He seems to like my reactions, not that I can understand this maniac.

"Either you kill me now or you leave me alone. I don't have the time and the patience to play your silly games." I tell him without looking in his direction.

"By the way, what is your name?"

He ignored every word I said! But two can play this game, so I won't respond to him.

I decide to walk to the opposite direction from my home. If he really is following me, I can't show him where exactly I life, who knows what he will do with this information? If he knows that I am a Nakamura, the daughter of a black man, he kidnaps me and demands money from my father. If he doesn't kill me, my father will do it for sure.

"If you ignore me I will get lonely, you know?" Hisoka states and I can hear the fake pout he is making.

His talking doesn't fit him at all. I can feel the power and the bloodlust he has and it remembers me of the guy who visited my father this morning. At least the aspect of their strength and the atmosphere is the same, this guy behind me, his personality can't be compared to another living being.

"But I can't wait for you to thank me." he whispers and I nearly didn't hear his words. _As if I will ever thank you_ , I want to say, but I guess ignoring him is the best thing to do at the moment. Otherwise he knows that I will speak to him and then he will stay forever.

Time passes and soon it is dark in the city. The Christmas decorations at the houses brighten the streets and parents put their children to bed. I look up to the sky and notice that little snowflakes are dancing in the wind while falling to the ground. It is cold and I can see my breath in front of me. I wish I had brought gloves with me, but I never expected to spend three hours outside and so my hands stay cold.

I look over my shoulder and see a still smiling Hisoka behind me. He immediately responds to my glance and gives me a wink. He is so persistent that I can not help but to admire him. Maybe the cold air froze my brain?

No matter where I went, Hisoka didn't lose me a single time, not even at the Christmas market where I hoped to disappear in the crowd. At the moment we walk in the residential area and I lose all my hope. It is time for me to go home before my father gets angry, even if Hisoka is following me I don't want to anger him a second time, I have had enough training for one day.

In the distance I can hear voices and after a while I can see a group of men who loudly discuss something. If I count correctly there are nine of them, but because of the darkness I am not sure. They are standing on the street and they are wearing black suits with a red emblem which I can't identify from this position.

I am about to take a different route to avoid the group as one of them points in our direction.

"There he is!" the said man shouts suddenly and I turn around to look at the person behind me.

Does he mean Hisoka? Now I remember where I saw the exact same suits with the same emblem, somehow my subconscious memorized it. When I saw Hisoka for the first time with all those corpses, all of them wore the exactly same suits. _Perfect,_ I think a little annoyed.

"Isn't that the daughter of Nakamura? Why is she together with the killer of our boss?" one asks surprised. Great, now the psycho knows my identity! Now all my efforts were a waste of time!

"Not important, we have to kill him!" and with these words they run towards us. I step to the left side so they have full view of Hisoka who keeps standing at the same spot. This is not my fight and I am not their target, so it will be interesting to see how Hisoka will handle these strangers.

Four of them surround Hisoka so that he can't get away and they pull out knives. As if on cue they attack him at the same time and swing their weapons. Hisoka doges without making a step, only his upper body or his head moves so that he doesn't get hurt. After a while the attackers grow desperate.

With a smooth movement Hisoka wipes the air with his hands and six playing cards appear in front of him. He grabs the cards and makes a full turn till he looks in the same direction again. I notice that the four men, who surrounded Hisoka, have the cards stuck in their foreheads.

They sink to the ground and I can hear the same sound from my left side there two others are lying, guns near their bodies. It seems as if they pulled them out and wanted to attack Hisoka, but he noticed and killed them before they could pull the trigger.

The other three men stop their movement and look at the bloody corpses in shock. _Now you know that a monster is standing in front of you. But it is too late_ , I silently think.

Suddenly one of the men runs towards me, grabs the front of my brown coat and holds a knife against my throat. It is similar to the way Hisoka held his card against me and the stranger indeed touches the scratch, which I got from that time, with his weapon. I didn't expect something like this to happen and even Hisoka seems surprised.

"Don't move! I will cut off her head, I swear I will do!" the attacker shouts and all of us could hear the fear inside his voice.

Slowly a smile appears on my face and I look to Hisoka who narrows his eyes, not liking how the situation changed. _At the end I will win your little game_ , I think and I can tell that he understands what I want to say with this smile.

"I am afraid that you can't do that. At the moment I am still interested in my new toy and don't want to stop playing with it. Letting her die would be a real waste!" he exclaims and lets his tongue glide over his lips.

A shiver runs through my body and somehow I wish that the man with the knife will hurry up and kill me, but to my astonishment he suddenly stops to shake. I focus my concentration on the stranger and discover a thin red line under his head. His eyes are wide and he stares at me.

Time slowed down. The head slowly moves to the left side and blood springs out of the wound. It sprinkles the snow on the ground with its red colour and I can feel how some drops get on my face. His eyes become emotionless and he drops his knife. Finally his head falls to the ground and soon his body follows him.

With one hand I touch my face and look at it. It is blotched with blood and I catch a slight scent of iron.

"Scared?" a voice beside me wants to know and I look at a smiling Hisoka who folds his arms in front of his chest.

"I am surprised that you killed him so quickly and I am disgusted because his blood is all over my face, but I am not really scared. It disappoints me that you won again, really annoying." I tell him while pulling a handkerchief out of my coat-pocket and cleaning my face.

"Like I told you before, I am a magician and I have always an ace up my sleeve. I don't lose my games." he reveals solemnly and I only nod absent-minded.

"Where is the rest of them?" I ask him as I notice that two are missing.

"They ran away just a moment ago, but it would be boring to follow and kill them, after all they are weak and I have a toy here waiting for me." he explains amused.

"Your _'toy'_ will go back home now and I don't care what you will do from now on. I have had enough trouble for one day." I inform him and quickly walk into an alley which will guide me home.

Today everything is too much. Normally my patience is pretty high and it's difficult to shake me up, but it all started in the morning there my father had this strange guest and then I had to talk to him about my violation against the system of our family. After that I had this painful training with my father, went out to finally relax and then I met this psychopath who just wanted to play with me and followed me for hours. He pulled me into his affairs and just laughed as if nothing happened. No, it was really enough for today.

I am lost in thoughts as suddenly something warm grabs my cold left hand. I turn around to the culprit and see Hisoka standing behind me. He doesn't look happy at all. With one quick movement he pins my left hand against a wall and places his other hand next to my head. I can feel how the cold stones press against my back and I hold my breath. My eyes are widened from the shock and I still try to comprehend what happened.

"Didn't you forget something?" he asks with a deep voice and stares into my eyes.

"W-What do you mean?" I stutter. This situation overwhelms me and I can't concentrate. I can only stare at these eyes which reminds me of liquid gold. They shine in the darkness and everything else doesn't matter anymore.

"I mean", Hisoka says while leaning closer to me, "that I rescued you back there. Don't you wanna say something?"

Rescued? Right, there was this man with the knife who nearly killed me. "T-Thank you.." I stutter again. Like before he comes closer to me and I close my eyes on instinct. I can feel a warm breath on my left ear and lips which softly touch it.

"Is this all what I get?" he whispers sensually and a shudder runs through my body. Never was a guy this close to me, just how am I suppose to react? And what should I say to him?

 _Calm down! He wanted to kill you just a few hours ago, you have to escape from him!_ , I lecture myself. But how can I do that?

"Mi-Mirana..", I respond silently, "I still haven't told you my name, right? It's Mirana Nakamura. You already know the last part but not my full name. Now I told you."

He stops to move and I expect that I did say something wrong, but then he suddenly begins to chuckle and my heart nearly skips two beats. I will never ever forget this sound. Now he leans back and loses his grip on my left hand.

"Hm.. that's right, I still didn't know your first name. That's a nice reward." he states and slightly grins. I can feel how my cheeks turn red and so I quickly turn to the side to hide my blush.

"That means we are even now." I try to convince him, still startled by the incident just a moment ago.

"Yes we are." he confirms while running a hand through his hair. "It was indeed a nice evening with you little Mira and I guess I will let you rest for the rest of the day. Don't want to break such a lovely toy, do we?" he says and from the corner of my eyes I can see him making a curtsey.

"But don't be sad, we will meet again." and with these words he disappears without a trace.

Now I stand here and can finally relax my nerves. I calm my breath and close my eyes. Only then I realize that I thanked him, just like he told me I would do. Did he know that all this would happen? Was he prepared the whole time and played with all of us?

With one cold and one warm hand I lean against the wall and start laughing like never before. The cold air really did froze my brain, because just a little, tiny bit, I start to like his insane game.

* * *

Note: I really appreciate all reviews, so tell me what you are thinking and maybe I will include your wishes :D  
And I hope you liked the last part!


	4. Chapter 4

Here you go! :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.**

 **WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

I open the door and warm, fresh air meets my cold body. Luckily I didn't break the curfew, but five minutes later and I would have gotten into trouble.

"Welcome home Milady." Mishima stands beside the entrance and greets me with a candle in her hand. "At the moment we have an electricity failure, so I will guide you until everything is back to normal. Furthermore I have prepared dinner for you and because of the blackout I recommend you to eat in the dining room."

At her words my stomach begins to rumble and I realize that I didn't ate the whole day. Since a few minutes I feel dizzy, but I thought that it is because of a certain red haired man and not because of hunger.

"Thank you Mishima, your timing is perfect." I smile at her and her eyes widen.

"Did something happen Milady?" she suddenly asks and I raise an eyebrow at her, not understanding why she would ask something like that.

"Why do you assume that something happened?" I want to know from her and she slightly blushes and looks to the floor. She knows that she is not allowed to talk to me like this because of her position, but as my attendant she has to answer my question.

"I apologise! It's just.. you seem to be happier than usual, that's all." she mutters awkwardly and I consider her words. She is right, normally I wouldn't smile at someone from the mansion and even less at attendants who observe me all the time.

This is risky. If I don't keep my appearance up my father may be unsatisfied with me and that means trouble. I am surprised because I never had a problem with keeping my facade and a blank, emotionless expression upright, but now even Mishima can tell that something is different. Maybe the fit of laughter destroyed my daily routine, means that Hisoka is the reason for this.

Mishima shyly looks at me, not sure what to do because of my silence. "Let us go to the dining room." I tell her and ignore her question from the beginning.

She nods and together we enter the room to the right side of the entrance. I take a few steps and sit down on a giant glass table that nearly fills the whole room. In the middle of the table there is dark red fabric which goes from one end to the other. On the fabric are four candle holders and they are the only source of light in this big room, so it is pretty dim in here.

"I will get the meal, please wait a moment." and with these words Mishima leaves the room.

As five minutes passed by, the silence gets disturbing loud and I look around me. Am I paranoid or is someone watching me? And why is Mishima not back yet?

The door opens and I expect Mishima to come in, but it is not her. It is my father. My heart slightly beats faster and I try to keep a expressionless face. I can't make the same mistake two times in a row.

My father comes closer and sits down on the chair beside me. He positioned himself at the head of the table to my right side. The door opens again and now Mishima and a dark brown tea trolley join us. She places our plates in front of us while avoiding my eyes.

Maybe she feels as if she betrayed me because she knew that my father would join me, but I'm sure that it was a personally instruction from him. With a quick curtsey she leaves us alone and it becomes completely silent.

On the plates there are handmade dumplings, fresh green asparagus and a fillet of beef from our own farmer. I begin to eat and wait for my father to start the conversation. It is unusual for us to eat dinner together, so he wants to talk about something with me.

"Mirana." my father says in a strict tone.

I gulp my last bit down and look at my father. His white hair is a bit messy and he looks tired, nothing like he uses to be.

"I heard that you were attacked." he states and stares at me. How does he know that? Did someone follow me the whole day? And even if that is the case, my father wouldn't be interested in such a small attack.

"That's right." I nod at him. "But I don't know who those men were." I tell him truthfully.

He frowns and somehow I angered him. "I don't care about some small flies!" he punches the table and I try to stay calm and collected. "You were together with this guy, right?" he shouts at me.

With 'this guy' he probably means Hisoka and somehow he seems to know this crazy man. But if my father is so angry with me because of being with him, their relationship doesn't seems to be a good one. Normally I have to tell my father the truth, lying was never helpful, but I have the feeling that telling the truth will bring more problems.

"If you mean the red haired man then yes, I was together with him. He followed me and then he was attacked. After that he left me behind. But I don't know why this angers you, I didn't talk to him about anything important." I tell him as emotionless as possible.

He frowns, puts his elbows on the table and folds his hands in front of his face. He observes me as if he is waiting to find a gap in my facade, but my breath is steady and I look into his cold grey eyes without showing fear.

"What did he whispered to you?" he asks calmly and I knew that my respond would be determining.

"He said that I'm not interesting enough for his attention and that he has better things to do than following me around." this was the first time in my life I lied to my father.

Does he know that I didn't tell him the truth? If that is the case, what will he do to me? Something more terrifying than his training, does that even exist? I hope that my observer really didn't heard what Hisoka was saying and that my father wasn't testing me.

It appears as if hours are passing where neither my father nor I withdraw from the eye contact. The atmosphere is heavy and I have to suppress the urge to run away from him. Slowly he unfolds his hands and stands up.

"I will believe you, but you shall know that I don't want to see you with this man ever again." he declares while narrowing his eyes.

"This will not happen." I announce.

"Fine." he adds. "Starting tomorrow you will catch up on all your lessons you neglected the past few weeks, concentrate on them." and with this decision he opens the door to leave the room.

"As you wish, father." I say but before I could finish the sentence the door already closes behind him.

I look in front of me through a massive window and stare into the darkness. My father doesn't trust me. The tough schedule is to prevent me from going outside where I could meet Hisoka. I'm still not sure if I want to see him or not because he shows me sides of myself which even I don't know of and that slightly scares me.

Even so I want to know what this guy is up to and how he will go on with his game. I want to make it difficult for him so that he is annoyed. He has to be frustrated. Gets angry. Goes crazy.

I laugh at my own thoughts, stand up, take a candle from the table and leave the dining room so that I can finally get some sleep. This was probably one of the longest days in my whole live.

* * *

The next week I was busy with all my lessons. I was taught the regular ones like English, Maths, Home economics and Biology, but one private teacher also talked about the situation of the black market and that was extremely interesting for me.

He spoke about an assassin family which lives at Kukuroo Mountain, the Zoldyck household. Silva and Kikyo Zoldyck seem to have children, but at the moment there is nearly nothing we know about them except that they would kill anyone as soon as the payment is enough.

My teacher wanted to tell me something about 'Nen' but as he realized what he was saying he quickly changed the topic. Once I eavesdropped on a conversation between my father and his business partner and that was the first time I heard of Nen, a power that lies deep inside of us.

I don't know why my father doesn't want me to know about something like this, maybe he is afraid that I will learn it on my own and then stand up against him, but even if I could I wouldn't be able to do that. In addition, I doubt that I have such a power inside of me.

At the moment it is night and I stand on our balcony which is connected with the dining room. This is the only way I can catch some fresh cold air because my father still won't let me go outside into the city. The sky is cloudy and I can't see the moon or the stars, everything is black and grey and kind of spooky.

I hear a squeak behind me and turn around to look at Mishima who hides her hands behind her back. Again her face becomes red from the cold and she begins to tremble.

"You should go inside Milady, it's a very cold night today." she tells me and looks up to the black sky.

"I will stay just a few more minutes but you don't have to join me, Mishima. You should go and see your boyfriend." I tell her but she shakes her head and comes closer to the railing where I stand.

"I already had wonderful hours with him, but there is still something I wanted to do." she says and with one foot she plays with the snow under her. She was probably the shyest attendant I ever had. Maybe the shyest person I even know.

"And that is...?" I ask her and slightly tilt my head to the side.

She takes a big breath, walks directly in front of me and puts out her hands towards me. "M-Merry Christmas Milady!" she shouts at me and my eyes widen in shock, not able to hide my surprise.

In her hands is a little box which is wrapped in white gift wrap with golden stars on it and a silver ribbon is attached to the top. I stare at it.

"Mishima I can't-" I begin to tell her but she abruptly interrupts me.

"I know that I am just an attendant with a low position, but even so I want to thank you for helping me out! My boyfriend was so happy about the present.. I want you to be happy too!" she shouts again.

She holds her head down, but I can still see her blushing cheeks and ears. I sigh in defeat and take the box from her hands. Slowly her glance wanders to my face.

"Thank you Mishima." I say to her with a small smile. Just for now I don't care if my father would see me. This is the first present since a really long time and I am really happy about it. I could even hug her right here and right now, but this would simply be too much.

But nevertheless Mishima faces brightens and her eyes widen with joy. If she were a dog, her tail would wag from one side to the other.

"Thank you!" she says once more and quickly runs back inside. I shake my head at her behaviour and focus on the present in my hand. Slowly I unwrap the paper and open a dark blue box.

I pull a bracelet, which is made of silver, outside and inspect it in my hands. In regular gaps are six white pearls firmly fixed to the silver chains and I let one free hand glide over it.

I open the lock and bind it to my left arm. It is truly beautiful and the cold silver lies comfortable against my skin. Mishima has great taste, when we are alone I should thank her again.

I don't want to admit it, but for me she is someone special.

* * *

Slowly I step out of my pool like bathtub and dry myself with a towel. After that I put some underwear and a lavender coloured pyjama on, blow-dry my black hair and brush my teeth.

The bracelet is still hanging on my wrist and I don't intend to take it off. It is made of real silver so if it gets a darker colour because of the water, I will carefully clean it so that it will be like new again.

I stretch my tired muscles and go through the door. It is still dark in my bedroom and I slowly make one step after the other. As I reach my bedside cabinet I search for the lamp.

It takes me some time to find it, but finally a warm light fills a small part of my room. From the corner of my eyes I can see something standing on my bed and I turn towards it.

There, in full glory, a house of cards is standing in the middle of my bed. _Is this your Christmas present for me?_ , I think and raise a eyebrow, but immediately shake my head.

"No.." I whisper softly and with one hand I tip against the two cards at the top. The tower breaks down and every card shows me its back, except for one. At the very top lies the joker and he is laughing at me as if he is saying that I'm stupid.

"You want to show me that you know where I live. You are also aware of our attendants who are guarding the mansion but you still can get past them. Nothing and nobody can stop you from coming inside and you easily find the room where I live." I take the joker into my hand plant a kiss on it. "You are my one and only personal stalker. How terrifying." I chuckle and put the joker under my pillow.

I collect the other cards and put the deck onto my bedside cabinet. After that I crawl into my bed and pull my blanket over my shoulders.

"If I have a bad dream you are at fault." I whisper one last time and soon fall asleep.

This night not a single nightmare disturbed my sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally a new chapter! Tell me if you like it :D

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.**

 **WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

The next morning I wake up on my own and a big yawn leaves my mouth. I rub my eyes and look around in my room. The curtain is still closed thus I stand up to open it. Bright light blinds me and it took me a while to get used to it.

Leafless trees are greeting me and they shake as the wind brushes their bony arms. Behind the mansion is a big forest which is like a maze and my window points in its direction. Usually I try to avoid it but I remember a time where Mishima got lost in it.

We were only ten years old and it was her first week as my attendant. The older ones wanted to test her and told her that she had to find something inside the forest. After five hours I couldn't sit still any longer and quietly left the mansion to find her.

Deep inside the forest she leaned against a tree and bawled loudly. Beside her were some herbs, those she had to pick up for the others. I took her hand in mine and together we returned to the mansion.

My father punished me but I didn't care, I was glad that Mishima was save and unhurt.

Mishima... where is she now? Normally she would wake me up with a loud and joyful voice but there is no sign of her. I look at the bracelet I got from her and frown.

After five minutes I finish dressing and washing, ready to go out to find her. I look to the deck of cards beside my bed and decide to take it with me, you never know what might happen.

As I want to open the door I hear a loud knock on it. I slowly open it and find Sebastian, the head of our attendants, in front of me.

Like always he wears the black suit and his glasses. He has short white hair and his face is covered with winkles. He is the oldest one in this mansion but even so you shouldn't underestimate him, it would mean your death.

"Good morning Milady." he greets me while his black eyes fixate me. "You wanted to leave your room?"

With my usual facade I nod. "I was surprised that Mishima didn't woke me up and so I wanted to search for her." I tell him.

"Your personal attendant has a different task for today, that's why I'm here to accompany you to your lessons. Soon the first one will start, we should go now." he informs me and points in the desired direction, showing me that I shall take the lead.

I go past him and start walking. He is hiding something but he won't tell me what. Of course I have no other choice than to behave like he want me to, otherwise he will imprison me into my room and there I won't come to know the truth about what is going on.

The next six hours Sebastian follows me to all my courses. My teachers are tense because of his presence and I can't concentrate on a single subject either.

At the moment Sebastian is alone with me in our library. I'm searching for information about the Nostrade household and apparently the daughter of the head, Neon Nostrade, can tell fortunes and is very popular in the mafia community. I don't understand why all the big fishes seem to believe her words, something like fortune-telling is not possible and normally every sane human would know that.

A ringing disturbs my concentration and I look to Sebastian who answers his phone.

"Yes? Right now? I understand." he ends the conversation and the phone disappears in his jacket again. "Your father ordered me to see him. Please continue your work till I'm back, Milady."

I watch Sebastian leaving the room and stare at the closed door. With one finger I thoughtfully tap my chin and return my glance back to the book about the Nostrade family. I slowly close the book and chuckle. It's time for the next round of our game.

I leave the room at a quick pace and go downstairs to the entrance. My eyes search for the big antique clock near the stairs and it tells me that it is exactly 4 pm. Most attendants should be in the common room to exchange all details on what happened today, my timing is perfect.

Near the front door is a coat rack and I hurry to put my brown coat on, go to the door and slowly open it to peek outside. Nobody is standing next to it and the path is empty too. With a little smile I close the door behind me and run outside.

The wind supports me and my black hair dances before my eyes. It isn't snowing but even so the coldness instantly embraces me with its cold arms. But it doesn't bother me. Everything is going as planned.

Time passes and I reach a very familiar staircase with bushes beside it. I go towards it and remember the last time I was here. The steps were covered with snow but they weren't white, they were red from all the blood. Bright red like the hair of the man who killed so many.

As I reach the top I follow a path that is surrounded by naked trees. Finally reach a grand, round square which is the centre of the park. Six roads lead to this place and in spring you would be surrounded by cherry blossoms which bathe in the first warm light of the year, but it is still too early for that to happen.

In the middle of the square there is a fountain and I walk closer to it. The stones are on the same heigh as my hips and the water reflects the grey sky.

In the centre stands a bear on his two legs and points his paws and his head up to the sky. Water comes out of its mouth and splatters to all sides. The bear statue is surrounded by many other animals like little birds on its shoulders or rabbits to its feet.

This whole fountain is a symbol to protect the animals in this area and to respect their territory. The inhabitants protect this place and work together to help the animals. Somehow I visit this place quite often, especially after my training lessons. It somehow calms me down.

I decide to sit down on one of the benches which are placed around the fountain. Now I have to wait.

* * *

Women with their children, grandfathers with their loved ones and stray dogs and cats pass me. The sun sets and soon the lanterns have to carry out their tasks.

I stare at the fountain as I notice a dark shadow looming from behind me onto the ground. "Waiting for your date?" someone suddenly asks and I could directly tell who it is.

"Not really, I am waiting for my personal stalker. He is quite late." I answer without moving.

I can feel how a strand of my hair is lifted up and a deep chuckle follows. "Unbelievable that someone would let you wait for nearly three hours. Alone in a park till it gets dark, how sadistic."

So he was here the whole time and watched me, really nice of him. I can feel how he disappears from behind me and from the corner of my eye I now notice that a person sits beside me on the bench. I look to him and see a grinning Hisoka.

He turns to face me, his left leg rests on the bench and with his left arm on the backrest he supports his head while observing me with slitted eyes.

My heart makes a little jump, it feels like years passed since the last time I saw him and with him you never know what will happen. "Don't you wanna give me something?" he asks and hold his right hand towards me.

Without hesitation I reach for the deck of cards in my coat pocket and give it to him. He seems satisfied and begins to shuffle the cards. "I'm surprised that you brought the deck with you."

"Of course, after all it wasn't a present, right?" I state and his grin widens. This gesture is enough for me to know that I interpreted the house of cards correctly, he just wanted to show me how powerful he his.

For awhile we sit there in silence and only the sound of shuffling fills the air. It isn't unpleasant or awkward like when you don't know of topic to talk about, rather it is kind of relaxing.

But I have a reason why I'm here and it is time to take action. "Hisoka, do you ever play cards on your own?"

He raises an eyebrow but continues to watch his cards. "I enjoy making a house of cards or a little fortune-telling with them, but a game with myself would be quite boring and I can't find a reason why I should do something like that."

"You are right." I tell him while standing up. I place myself in front of him, fold my hands behind my back and look down to him. "Playing on your own is not funny, there is no real challenge behind it and soon you lose your interest in the game. This is why.." I bend more towards him "I will participate in your little game." I tell him with a sly smirk.

His grin widens and his eyes sparkles. "And how will you do that?" he wants to know and stops to shuffle the cards, his concentration completely fixated on me.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but your favourite card is missing. I want you to pick it up at my place."

He controls the deck and slightly nods. "The joker is missing. But where is the challenge? I already showed you that it is easy for me to get into the mansion and into your room."

"Things will change. The last time my father knew we had met and he was really angry because of that. It seems that he doesn't like you. I'm sure that even now someone observes me and that person will report everything to my father. The security will be strengthened, my father won't let me leave the mansion and guards will be around me all the time to prevent that you will get near me." with a confident smile I lean back again.

Hisoka narrows his eyes and a sudden bust of wind hits us. "Someone is observing you right now? That's not possible, I would notice." he informs me and the playful expression on his face vanishes. Now he is serious and interested at the same time.

"I wouldn't say that for sure, my father has connections with powerful and talented men and I believe that some of them could even trick you." I say confidently. "Now tell me, will you win back your card or will our game end here?"

He slowly stand up and now it is his time to lean down towards me. "How could I not play this little game with you? I will not disappoint you little Mirana." he speaks and again he lifts a strand of my hair up and kisses it while staring into my eyes.

My heart beats faster and I try hard not to turn red like the last time he was this close to me. Just why has he such an influence on me?

He lets go of my hair and distances himself from me again, a foxy grin on his lips. "All right.." I nod and turn around. "Let's see who will win this game."

With these words I turn around and go to the direction of the path where I came from. Away from the insane man with red hair and a grin like the devils. Without looking back I try to concentrate on my steps and clear my mind with the fresh, cold air.

Behind me Hisoka covers his face with one hand and leans his head back. His body trembles and as I'm out of hearing distance he couldn't suppress his laughter any more.

"Ah..! You make me really excited!" he whispers with a deep voice into the darkness and only the wind responses to his words with its howling...

As I enter the mansion nobody is around. I suspected Sebastian to wait behind the entrance but he seems to have a different task. Surely my observer is already talking to my father about my encounter with Hisoka, so I decide to go to bed before it is too late to rest. He will not be happy at all and that means the next few days will be painful.

After a while I fall into my bed and my fatigue overwhelms me.

Without my knowing my father has a conversation with a young man in his office. The old man seems to be tired and afraid.

"I told you that we have to take action before Hisoka can manipulate her." a young man with long black hair says. He crosses his arms before his chest and with a emotionless face he observes the grey eyed man.

"I thought that she wouldn't betray me.. now I don't know what to do." he desperately ruffles his hair with both hands and looks down to the table.

"Nakamura." the old man slowly raises his head. "Let me train her." the young man says briefly.

"B-But what will I do when she points her strengths against me? When I can't control my own daughter any more?! This is the reason why I never trained her before!" he shouts and begins to tremble.

The black-haired man comes closer to the table and puts his hands on it. He stares into the grey eyes with his black ones and slowly the atmosphere in the room changes. Black hair floats beside the green clothed body and the old man holds his breath.

"I won't let her do that. Don't underestimate me."

The atmosphere turns back to normal and Nakamura gasps for air. He relaxes and sinks into his chair.

"Okay.. I'm counting on you Illumi."

* * *

 _Darkness. Everything around me is black and I can't even see my hands in front of me. I stand up from the hard, cold floor and look around me. Where should I go?_

 _There is no sign of light and I have no other choice than to blindly follow a random direction. One step after another. Nothing stands in my way or holds me back._

 _Finally! A little light in front of me! I step closer and soon I stand near a window. Snow is falling down as if it wants to attack the ground and a grumble comes from the sky._

 _Suddenly a white light from a lightning fills the room and I look down to the table in front of me. On the table there sits a little doll with golden curls. With her wide eyes she stares at me and a red tear drops from her right eye._

 _I flinch back, afraid of what I see, and suddenly the ground disappears under me. I fall down and land on me knees. Again everything is black and no sound can be heard. I want to move my arms but something holds me back. Cold iron keeps my hands above my head and I can't move a inch._

" _P-Please Papa.. let me go.." I hear myself whine._

" _You have to become stronger Mirana! You are our weakness, we can't just ignore that." and with these words I hear a door closing._

 _How long am I already chained to this place? I want to get out. Go to Mum and let her hug me till I'm warm again. I want to eat something. Why am I here?_

 _Now I hear a clicking, followed by a rustling. The sound goes on the whole time and I begin to sweat. Something touches my right thigh and I flinch by the sensation. W-What..?_

 _It climbs onto my tight and rests there. Apparently it is small and has many legs. An insect?_

 _At that moment something drops onto my head and I shriek surprised. I can feel how something hairy touches my forehead. One.. three.. eight?_

 _So many hairy legs wander from my forehead to my cheek and down to my shoulder. I tremble and tears leave my eyes. I sit on this cold floor for a long, long time and the rustling sound surrounds me without pause._

 _Every once in a while something touches me and begins to climb upwards or under my clothes. Hairy. Slimy. Scratchy._

 _The door opens again and light meets my eyes. It takes me a moment to adjust to it. I ignore all these small animals and look up to my fathers insane glance. He smiles widely and sprawls out his arms._

" _That's it!" he shouts. "Those eyes! That's it, Mirana!" he begins to laugh and couldn't stop._

 _All my senses are numb. The only thing I can do is to watch my father with emotionless eyes and a stony face..._

I wake up with a start and look around me. Everything is normal. No chains. No insects. No father. A warm light shines through my curtains and I try to calm down again.

Sweat is dripping from my face and my body trembles. With one hand I go through my hair and take a deep breath.

This dream is not unusual. I dreamed about my first training lesson I had with my father a long time ago. I think I was eight years old at that time. Once I was kidnapped by enemies of my father and they made me tell everything I knew about our family business.

Of course I was only a kid at that time and couldn't tell them important matters, but my father noticed the danger I created for his wealth and so he 'trained' me. From physical to mental torture, today I can withstand a lot of pain and nothing can easily shake me up. Nothing except a red-haired psychopath.

That is my life in this mansion. In this prison.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.  
WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

"What do you want from me?"

"Oh, why are you emitting such an anger? Didn't you miss me?"

"Speak or I will leave, I don't have the time and patience to deal with someone like you." the young man leans against an altar and watches the far too familiar man in front of him.

"How cold.." the tall man steps closer and places one hand on his hip. "I have a nice deal for you which you can't decline, you should be nicer to me."

Red eyes stares to the red-haired killer and the wind howls through the church. "I have to disappoint you, but I have not fallen so low that I need to make a deal with you a second time. Against the spiders was the first and last time, so don't send me irritating messages any more."

The blond hives himself off from the altar and steps down the stairs. He passes the motionless guy and heads to the door.

"What a shame, but if that's the case I guess that I will burn down this little piece of paper. Maybe it's better this way, I'm sure that you would kill all these people who are possible candidates for my next 'job' and with those nice eyes in their property I could earn some extra money. More profit for me."

The young boy abruptly stops and turns around, glaring at the killers back. "What did you just say?" he asks between clenched teeth and his eyes seem to send out red sparks. His fists are bulled up beside his body and he has to try hard to stay under control.

"Did I catch your interest little Kuruta boy?" the other one asks and slowly turns around, a big smile on his face. He holds a piece of paper, which is folded in the middle, up into the air and only two long fingernails hold it in place.

"You heard me right. Here in my hands are forty names and they all are owners of crimson red eyes. It's a real pain to get these information, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

The boy takes a deep breath. "I ask you again, what do you want from me?" Now he is ready to listen to the others request.

The last time it took him half a year to find and collect ten pairs of eyes because all owners are in the mafia and it is difficult to get information about them or their security system. With those names he could save some of the trouble.

Even so he doesn't like making a deal with this man. He can't be trusted.

"It's simple. If I remember correctly you are working for the Nostrade family and you protect the precious daughter, that's the reason why they trust you. I want you to tell them that the girl needs extra protection by her next travel and that you know the ideal man for this work."

Confusion appears on the Kuruta boys face. "You mean that you want to work for her?"

"Correct." answers the smiling one with amusement.

"If you have some business with the Nostrade family I have to decline, my duty is to keep the daughter and everyone around her save."

"You don't have to worry, I'm not interested in her. I just want to go to the same place you will go in two days." the red-head says while closing his eyes. Images of silky black hair and innocent eyes of a deer appear in front of him and a confident and playful voice sings in his ears. Oh how he want to play with this mysterious being.

"The Nakamura household? What is your business with them? And why do you need my help for something like this, with your abilities you could sneak inside without difficulties." the young man finally relaxes a bit and his eyes turn blue for the first time since they met. The request is not as absurd as he feared it to be, but even so his confusion remains.

"I just want to take a different solution so that the game becomes even more interesting. The girl won't get into danger, so there is nothing for you to be afraid of." he says and waves with the paper. "Are you in or not?"

The young man steps closer and takes the piece of paper. "We have a deal. Don't you dare to break your word, Hisoka!"

"I could never do something like this." He smiles and heads for the door. "I will wait for your message." he waves with one hand without looking back. Kurapika stays behind and stares at the promised forty names, still unsure if his decision is the right one.

For Hisoka everything is working as planned. Sure he has to wait two days to take action, but now he has more toys to play with and the game will become even more interesting. She will enjoy this too.

With a chuckle he closes the church door behind him. A thin layer of fog covers the ground and trees near the old church and the sun greets the first birds who chirp happily.

The first people leave their houses for a little walk or to go to work and mothers dress their children for school. The first day of their new game begins with a beautiful morning.

* * *

Footsteps are echoing through the mansion and attendants are in a hurry like never before. A deep breath and a hard knocking can be heard at the upper floor, followed by a creak from an opening door.

Sebastian is on the other side but he is avoiding my eyes. He only invites me inside with an opened hand and a little curtsey. I nod in his direction to greet him and step inside. The door closes and I look to the back of the office.

Behind the desk chair and in front of the window stands my father with his back to me. With wary steps I go around the sofas and stop before his desk. "Father, you wanted to see me?" I ask him with a neutral tone and the situation feels like a sadistic déjà vu.

Once more the weather is fantastic and once more I'm ordered to his office. The nightmare from this morning still lingers in the back of my mind but I can fortunately hide my thoughts. I already know what awaits me from now on, after all I betrayed the trust of my father. I'm prepared for my punishment.

Nakamura turns around and I don't think that I'm able to hide my confusion this time. My eyes widen as my father is smiling at me, no he is laughing! He looks as happy as never before and his white hair shines in the sunlight. "Mirana! I'm so glad to see you this early at morning!"

He walks around his desk and comes directly in my direction. Everything is happening so fast and suddenly I find myself in his arms. My father is embracing me? My mind can't process the situation and I just stand there dumbfounded.

"Sebastian prepared cake for us, sit down!" he exclaims and takes my hand to guide me to one of the black couches. He nearly pushed me onto it and I follow his lead and sit down. For the first time I notice the apple pie standing on the table, but it doesn't catch my interest.

Instead I try to analyse every movement my father makes. How his sweaty hand grabs my wrist and how it slightly shakes. His smile doesn't reach his eyes, they are dull and sometimes they look around as if he is expecting a disaster to happen.

After he released me he places himself on the facing couch from me. With a nod he instruct Sebastian to cut the cake for us. Soon a plate with a piece of cake is standing in front of me and I fix my eyes on it, just how am I supposed to look at my father? He is a completely different person right now and I don't know how to react, every action could be wrong right now.

"Don't you want to try it?" he asks with false excitement. With a fork I separate a little from my piece and guide it into my mouth. A warm sweetness instantly washes over me and for a moment I let myself enjoy the aroma. "And?" he asks again and I slowly look up to him.

The smile still lingers on his face and I know that he observes me just like I observe him. "It's delicious father." I tell him with a fake smile. We don't trust each other, that much is clear, but we are acting to hide our deepest thoughts to achieve different goals.

"I'm glad you like it, your mother made it especially for you!" because of his words a sick feeling comes over me and I forcefully gulp the bit down. "How nice of her." I say and keep my smile upright.

"Master Nakamura." Sebastian begins while looking to the clock on his wrist. "I don't want to disturb your conversation, but your guest will arrive soon."

"Of course." my father says and returns to smile at me again. "Actually there is a reason why I wanted to talk to you, Mirana." Now he comes to the point. The reason why I have to talk to my father and probably it's about my betrayal.

He stands up and spreads out his arms. "From today on you will start training!" he solemnly proclaims and starts to laugh happily. "Training?" I ask confused and my hands begin to get sweaty. "But I already train the whole time, I don't really understand what you mean father."

"Oh this time it is a different kind of training, one that will help you to support me with. To say the truth I want to spend more time with my lovely daughter. I have the feeling that I neglected you quite a bit and I want to catch up on the time we lost." Lies. Everything he says is a stupid and idiotic lie. "Besides, you would be happy if you could help your father, wouldn't you?"

My heart beats against my chest and I can feel the adrenalin pulsing through my veins. He wants my help? I'm not especially strong and not the best tactician he could get to assist him with his business. What kind of training does he want me to do?

"If there is something I can help you out with I will gladly do so. What kind of training will it be?" I try to ask him even if I know that I won't get a clear answer.

"Your teacher will tell you more about it, I just wanted to inform you beforehand. He should be here at any moment."

As if by command someone knocks against the door of the office and I turn my head to see how Sebastian goes to the door to open it for the newcomer. Through a gap I can already recognize the person standing there.

Long black hair swings from one side to the other as the man steps inside the room and his black eyes instantly focus on me. He is no stranger to me, so the chilly atmosphere is not unexpected.

"Mirana, I think that you met this man once before. His name is Illumi and from today on he will be your personal teacher. Please be respectful to him." my father says with a faint smile.

I stand up and make a small curtsey in Illumis direction while lowering my head. "It's a honour to receive special training from you, mister Illumi. I hope I can live up to everyone's expectations." I tell him with a formal voice. After that my eyes wander to his and I notice a nod coming from him.

But instead of responding to my greeting he turns his attention to my father. "Can we start the training?" he asks with few words and my father stands up while rubbing his hands.

"Of course, of course!" he says with a smile. "I can't wait to see the results of the training! Please inform me right away as soon as she makes progress!"

"The training won't take long" Illumi states and a shiver runs down my back. It won't take long? Just what kind of training has he planned to do with me?

The young man turns around and goes to the door which is opened by the chief attendant Sebastian. I shortly look to my father to see his smile fading. If he doesn't like the idea of letting me absolve special training, why did he accept to this? Maybe I will never hear the reason, right now I have to follow this cold man.

With these thoughts I go outside the office, right behind Illumi. His big shadow covers my slim frame and the cold feeling never fades. Together we take the staircase that leads to the entrance, but instead of going out we walk under the stairs where a door is hidden.

Illumi opens the door and a creak echoes through the mansion. We follow a stair that goes like a spiral into the underground. Cold grey cobblestones surround us and to our sides are some candles on the wall that emit a creepy dim light. The smell of moss lingers in the air and the bad air makes my breathing hard.

Soon we arrive the end of the staircase and it follows a long, monotonous corridor which just the same appearance.

"Mirana." a neutral voice suddenly says and I quickly look to the back of the head from the person in front of me. "Yes?" I say while trying to let my voice sound just as neutral as his.

Without stopping his track he continues to talk to me. "Do you know what Nen is?" Again this word. I remember the time when my teacher wanted to tell me something about it, but he was probably scared of the reaction of my farther. Yes I know a little bit about it, but this is not the time to reveal something like that.

"I never heard this term before. Is it important for my training?" I ask him interested, but at the same time an uneasy feeling comes over me.

"It is." he answers my question but even so I get annoyed. He brought up this topic, so why won't he tell me more about it? I should have had researched what Nen exactly is, but I never expected that it would be important for me to know more.

I realise that we are nearly at the end of the corridor and I concentrate to calm down again. I must have a strong barrier to be prepared for anything that could happen from now on.

At that moment Illumi stops in front of an iron door and turns around for the first time to look at me. Black eyes stare into brown ones and neither of us break the eye contact.

"Every human being has a special power deep inside of him, the life energy. With some time and training one can make use of this energy to activate new strengths and to overcome the human boundaries. Some even develop a special ability to achieve the full potential of this power." he explains and I don't know what surprises me more, the explanation about Nen or how he can talk for such a long time.

But as he explained all this to me, an image of Hisoka and his card that could cut a tree flashes in front of my eyes. Is he also able to use such a huge power? It would kind of fit his image.

"So I will train how to use Nen?" I ask him carefully, not sure what to think about this situation. Excluding my family background, I'm a normal girl with nothing special about me, how am I supposed to learn something like that?

My eyes widen as I notice the small smile on the young man's face that seems so much out of place that it shocked me. "No." he says and slowly opens the iron door. "You are a special case."

I slowly step into the dark room and turn around to look at the man behind me. Because of the candle behind him his front is covered in deep darkness and it is impossible to tell how his expression is like.

He makes a step towards me and I notice something thin and sharp in his hand. "I already told your father that this won't take long." he reminds me and my whole body gets cold from his dangerous voice.

At this moment the basement door falls close and the only source of light can't reach us any more. My new training in the former torture room is about to start in completely darkness, just like how my first training with my father began a long time ago.

* * *

Note: Hello everyone, I hope you liked this chapter :) I have an important question for you! Do you guys want some Illumi x OC in this story or not? I like both ways so I will let you guys decide :D Let me know in the reviews, I really love to read your opinions about my story :3


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you guys for the reviews, I will add some sweet moments with Illumi but the focus will of course be on Hisoka and Mirana! :)  
Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.  
WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

A sharp coldness starts to crawl down my back as I gaze into the dark space. The only sound that could reach my ears is my own breathing and if I wouldn't know better, I would say that I'm completely alone in this room.

But I saw with my own eyes how the tall man followed me into it and it is quite nerve-wracking how invisible he seems to be right now. No breathing and no steps can be heard from him, just as if the man doesn't exist.

Suddenly I notice a small light in one of the corners of the room and I turn my head to stare at it. I curiously observe how the small light inflames a candle and soon a table, which stands in front of an iron wall, can be seen. Beside it stands Illumi who blows out the matchstick which was black from the fire.

It's not easy to make out his form because it seems as if he is merging with the darkness and not even the candle could do much against it. It is also too dark to see anything else in this room, the only things I could look at are the table and his dark eyes. But maybe that is for the best, I'm sure there are many things in this room which I remember quite well, but nothing what I want to see right now.

I notice how Illumi stares at me and I kind of have the feeling that he is waiting for something, but what am I supposed to do right now? Everything in my head starts to work and I try desperately to find the right thing to do.

Unsure if my decision is the right one, I speak the first words that come to my mind. "You told me that I'm 'a special case'. Just what exactly do you mean by that and how will it affect my training with you?"

"Before I answer your question let me ask you something." He begins and steps to the side. The darkness surrounds him now and I can't see him any more. I decide to stare at the candle on the table and to concentrate on it while keeping my breath steady. "Your fathers training.. was it painful for you?"

Why is he asking me that? But I don't see a reason why I should lie to him, I'm sure that my words won't change the outcome. "I was eight years old at the time when my training started and it was painful at that time, I mean I was only a kid back then, but I got used to it." I tell him truthfully.

"I see.." His voice comes from my right side and I slightly flinch. How could he move around without making a sound? Is he walking around me the whole time, as if keeping me caged?

"So you got used to it. Does that mean that it became normal for you to hide your pain or rather did the training actually hurt less as time passes?"

For a moment I think about his strange question. Yes, wearing a mask is nothing new to me, but did I become numb towards the training? This is something I never thought about. I frown in confusion and shake my head.

"I.. I don't really know. Maybe a little from both? I never thought about the last one, but I'm sure that the training was not once painless for me."

"That's to be expected, after all you don't have the control over your ability." Illumi states from my left side and I yank my head in his direction.

"What are you talking about?" I demand to be told and wait for his answer.

"You are special." He says with a deep voice. Suddenly a sharp pain strikes my neck. With my right hand I feel for the spot that hurts and notice something sharp and thin sticking in my skin. A needle? Did he do this to me?

"W-What the..?" I begin, but before I can pull out the needle another one hits my right hand and I pull it back in front of me to hide it from the attacker. "What are you doing?!"

My heart beats fast against my chest and I look around, desperate to find him in the dark. The places where the needles rest inside my skin begin to burn as if he had hold them in fire before throwing them at me.

I clench my teeth together to hold back my voice. "You must know that you are pretty talented, Mirana, but it seems that you didn't noticed it. Because of the torture you had to go through you unconsciously developed the capability to use Nen and you even specialized on a certain power."

Two other needle hit my left and right leg. Fire flows from my legs to my neck. Both of my arms are his next target and I can soon feel the pain in the crook of my arms. Unable to calm my shaking legs, I fall to my knees and lay one hands to my left side on the ground so that I don't fall completely in the dirt that covers the ground.

"You could numb your sensation of pain to protect yourself from the agony you had to go through." Another one hits my spine. "But you can't control it and there is still a lot of potential to this power." he says and I notice how the candle disappears from my field of view, he must be standing in front of me.

Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my heart and I scream. I scream out of pain like never before and tears begin to roll down my face. My body shakes and I bite down on my lips, not wanting to scream even more. The taste of iron fills my mouth and I swallow the warm blood down.

"I will help you to use your power. I will make you stronger." For the first time I can hear footsteps coming closer to me and a little rustle from his clothes. With his next whispered words I can feel his breath on my face. "You will be strong enough to change your fate if you really want it..."

Before I can think about the meaning of these words another pain strikes my forehead. My eyes widen and the shaking stops. I can feel how I'm falling into a darkness that is even thicker than the one in this room and my body falls onto the cold floor. After that a calming emptiness envelops me and the pain fades away.

* * *

Illumi stands up, takes the unconscious body in his arms and lays it down against one of the iron walls near the candle. With one hand he strokes away a strand of hair from the girls eyes and inspects her face. It looks as if she is sleeping, the pained expression has left her face and even her body relaxed.

He stands up and walks to the only door in this room. Before walking through it, he notices a shuffling sound across from the sleeping Mirana. With one fast movement he throws a needle in the direction and the shuffling abruptly stops.

He opens the door, walks through it and locks it behind him. While striding through the corridor he thinks about the girl he met for the second time by now. Her life will change, this much is certain. Maybe she will kill for her father soon, but will she do that?

Illumi shakes his head. How should he know? For someone who was raised in a household full with killers, a mission where you have to kill a living being is nothing unusual.

Maybe the first killing, an animal for example, is a bit bizarre and your first time killing a human who begs for his life confuses you, but it is your duty to bring it to an end and you will get used to it the more you practise it.

But to tell the truth, Illumi never had a problem with it. At the time when he was six he already killed a human for his mother and she was overjoyed by his act, even more because he had done it without her instruction.

At first he was happy to please his mother, but this is a different matter today. Nowadays he is constantly bored and nothing could stops his boredom. There just aren't many out there who could fight him head on, to tell the truth he only knows one man who could try it, but sadly enough they never met personally.

But now he found someone interesting. A girl who had a natural talent in using Nen and in a way he never saw before. If he is lucky he could learn something new from her, or he could use her for his own purpose.

There are many roads he can take, but for now he will concentrate on the here and now and watch the girls development.

He opens the door to the office and sees Nakamura who still sits on the sofa. The man raises his head as he notices the intruder and slowly stands up.

"Did she survive the training?" Nakamura asks and Illumi only nods. The father sighs and sits down again, his arms resting on his legs. "The fortune teller will arrive tomorrow night. Do you really think that we changed the future?" He asks Illumi while staring at the wall.

"You never wanted to train your daughter and without me you probably wouldn't have changed your mind, I believe that some things have changed by this action. If not, we will change our tactic." Illumi explains while going to the window. The wind howls loudly outside and rain petters against the glass. "A storm will come." He silently whispers.

Another sigh can be heard from Nakamura. "I really hope that everything will take place as planed." He says while listening to the rain.

* * *

Far away, outside the village in the mountains, stands a small wooden hut which is surrounded by all kinds of trees. Inside the hut sits Hisoka on the windowsill and he looks outside, lost in thoughts. A little further away burns fire in a fireplace and the room shines in a warm yellow, orange colour.

Hisoka slowly takes out his deck and begins shuffling. After a while he places three cards in front of him on the windowsill and turns the first one around. Peak ten. A card that stands for a big change in life, but will it be a positive or negative one?

He takes the next card and look at it. The Queen of Hearts. Of course this card has be there, he is sure that his queen is already awaiting him by now. He smiles at the thought and put the card down again.

Now he gets to the last card. The Jack of Clubs. His smile vanishes as he stares at the card, his mood clearly worsening. This card says, that a rival will appear in front of him and since this card lies beside the queen, it will likely be a love rival.

Never before did Hisoka pick a combination like this and there are two things that bother him. First of all there is nobody he could call a 'rival', he always gets what he wants without many problems. Second, the word 'love' doesn't exist for him and it never will.

A little annoyed he takes the cards and puts them back into the deck. _What a waste of time_ , he thinks and returns to look out of the window, thoughts wandering back to nothing particular.

Suddenly his pocket vibrates and he takes out his handy. "At 8 pm we will arrive with the ferry at the port, wait for us there." He reads out loud and finally his smile reappears again. The Kuruta boy is true to his words, what a lovely night this is!

Soon he will be reunited with his toy and the real fun can begin.

* * *

It's warm. I have the feeling as if I'm gliding through thick water and it seems ad if this moment will never end.

My body is so incredible warm, but it doesn't hurt like before. Instead I like the sensation and enjoy its presence.

I slowly open my eyes and wonder why the feeling doesn't fade away like in all these other nice dreams. I look around and notice that I'm leaning against the basements wall.

The wax from the candle already fills the candle holder and it slowly drops onto the table, creating a little white puddle. Beside that nothing changed in this room.

"You are awake." Someone says and it doesn't surprise me to find Illumi standing in front of me. "Yes." I answer although it wasn't a question.

"And how are you feeling?" Illumi asks and my eyes wander down, noticing that he must have removed the needles from my body. "I think I'm fine." I tell him and rub my neck absentminded. Just then I notice the knife he is holding in his hand and automatically stop all movement.

"I guess we will continue with the next step of my training?" Instead of giving me an answer he comes closer to me, crouches down and takes my right hand into his own. He observes the point where the needle previously hit me and with his thumb he carefully goes over it. "So you aren't in pain any more?"

A little surprised I shake my head. "No, to tell the truth I kind of.. feel better now? I don't really know how to explain it."

"I see." He abruptly releases my hand and now he holds the knife right above it. "Now try to concentrate on the spot and let your energy gather there."

Without protest I close my eyes and try to do as he told me. First I search for the feeling of my life energy which surrounds my body, then I try to bring this energy to my right hand.

At the beginning I can't hold it upright and it fades away quickly, but even so the process is kind of familiar to me and I get better at it in a steady tempo. Maybe this is because of what Illumi had told me before, that I unconsciously used this energy my whole life.

Soon I open my eyes and fix them on the knife. "I'm ready." I tell him. With one fast motion he makes the knife glide over my skin. Small blood drops begin to form on the red line and one already runs to my wrist. I watch in fascination, then I look straight in Illumis black eyes.

"It doesn't hurt, not even a tiny bit." I inform him and even if I give my best to remain a neutral tone, I'm sure that he can see the joy and excitement in my eyes. To think that I can do something like this is just unreal, so interesting!

"But.." I think out loud and frown. "How can something like this benefit my father? I don't really understand why we are doing this."

With a handkerchief Illumi removes the blood from the knife and stand up. "You will understand it soon." He tells me and goes to the table to get the candle. At the wall there is a gouge and now he holds the candle into it. Flames begin to rise and they spread to the sides, creating a fire circle that goes along the walls.

Naturally it becomes brighter in the room, but it is still pretty dim. For the first time I look around and directly stop as I look across from me.

Thick, robust chains are hanging down from the ceiling and they hold thin, tiny arms captured in their cold grip. Black and white fabric is covered with dried blood and messy brown hair lies on slim shoulders.

My eyes widen, my heart beats faster and I forget how to breath. I slowly stand up and make a hesitantly step forward. This can't be true. This has to be a lie! My hand wanders to the bracelet on my left wrist which lies comfortable against my skin.

"Oh my god, Mishima!" I finally shout as realisation hit me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally another chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait, too many things came between me and my story, but I assure you that I won't stop writing until it is finished :D  
And thanks for all the support! I had a little writer's block, so I hope that I don't disappoint you with this chapter! D:  
Enjoy :3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HxH.  
WARNING: This story contains violence, blood, torture and in later chapters smut!**

* * *

"Mishima!" I shout again and quickly run to her side where I fall to the ground.

Her arms are chained above her head and dark bruises on her wrist can be seen underneath them. She probably struggled against whatever they did to her and this thought brings a feeling of sickness to me.

Her maid dress is so incredible full of dried blood. Just what happened to her? As I move the brown curls away from her face I can clearly see how pale she is. I don't hesitate to check her pulse at her neck, luckily it's still there. But it's not as strong as it should be, I'm sure that they hurt her until her body and mind couldn't bear it anymore.

I begin to tremble. Not because of coldness or fear. No, it is because of anger. I clench my fists and with a lump in my throat I look back to where Illumi stands beside the table. "What did you do to her?!" I snap at him, glaring daggers in his direction.

"How emotional you are. Is she someone important to you?" His voice halls in the room and oh, if looks could kill he would be dead by now for sure.

"As if you don't know that! Why? Why did you do this to her?!" I shout at him while placing my arms around her cold body to warm her up.

"I'm not the one who hold her chained in this room. She is in here long before I arrived at the mansion." He answers and I gulp. Again my eyes wander to my bracelet and now I slowly close them while taking a deep breath.

It can't be.. But since she gave me the present I didn't see her. Sebastian told me that she had a different task, is it possible that she is in this room since then? All this time, left alone in biting cold. Only because I was happy as she gave me the present..?

"Look at her neck." The monotone voice of the man says and I follow his order. There, slightly hidden behind her curls, something sharp is sticking at the side of her neck. I remember the first attack Illumi started on me and quickly grab the needle to remove it.

A clank can be heard as the needle falls onto the ground. Mishima eyes open and her head rises. My heart beats faster because of the excitement and nervousness. "Mishima, can you hear me? How are you feeling? Careful, don't move too much!"

Her eyes open and soon she is looking into mine. They seem to be glassy and her pupils are small, I'm certain that she is running a high fever right now. "W-Where...?" she begins but stops immediately as she seems to remember something. "Milady? You.. You shouldn't be down here, they will find you if you don't go now. Please.. hurry!" she whispers weakly.

That's so typical for her. She only thinks about my well-being and completely ignores her own pain, does she even realise in what kind of danger she is in if she doesn't receive treatment?

I force a small smile on my face and shake my head. "You know that I won't leave you alone. We will go out of here together."

She returns the smile and closes her eyes again. "Just like back then.." She breathes out these words before she falls silent again. Fighting back the tears I look to Illumi, just to notice how he holds one of his needles into the candle flame that is standing back on the table.

"What are you doing?" I ask him warily while tighten my arms which are still wrapped around Mishima. Illumi stares into the flame while explaining with his typical neutral tone. "Your training is not over yet."

My eyes widen and before I can react I notice a quick movement from him. A scream. Beside me Mishima lets out a loud scream and she begins to struggle against the chains.

"It burns!" She cries. "Mirana, it burns!" Falling into a panic I search for the needle. Her shoulders.. her stomach.. Her cries causes me a headache and my hands begin to shake. There! In her tight the still glowing needle is sticking and I pull at the sharp monster with all my might.

Nothing. It doesn't even move an inch! "Why?!" I shout while pulling at it another time. Still nothing. "Why?!" I shout again in Illumis direction. In my arms Mishima now stopped to scream, but she still trembles and whimpers because of the remaining pain.

Here I sit, my facade from all these years broken into tiny little pieces and holding the only friend I ever had, who is suffering such enormous pain, in my arms. To my frustration Illumi stands there unchanged, as if nothing here interests him. "Your training is not over yet." He repeats while holding another needle into the fire.

"What..?" I whisper shocked. "So you pull Mishima into my training?! What exactly do you want me to do?!"

"That's simple." He begins and I stare at the little monster in his hand in horror. "You just have to protect her from the pain with your ability."

Another throw, another scream. "Stop it!" I desperately shout. Before another one can hit her I place myself in front of her, my back to Illumi, and I wrap my arms around her neck, trying to cover her body with my own.

But it is no use. It is not possible to hide her completely and so Illumi is throwing his needles right past me. One after another hits its target and there is nothing I can do about it. There is no way I can stop this man.

Cries of pain last for a long time and her tears fall onto my shoulder, my own ones onto the ground. My mind is a mess, but even so I have to concentrate. For her, to protect her.

I take a deep breath and try to block all noises and feelings out. The screams, the wet spot on my shoulder, the smell of burnt flesh, the stuffy air and the dark, staring eyes behind me. Everything becomes quiet and my senses numb, as if I'm floating in water in completely silence.

The only thing clear to me is that I'm holding someone soft and thin in my arms. She is cold and trembles. The desire to warm her up overcomes me and so I automatically reach for my life energy which surrounds me like a warm little bubble. I mentally pull this energy to my arms and hold it right there.

But the trembling continues. I try to release my power, to lead it into the small being. In the back of my mind I notice how I'm shaking because of the enormous effort I'm making, but for now I only think about my task.

Little by little the energy separates from me, she becomes warmer and stops to tremble. I'm waiting. Waiting for the next shock or disaster, but nothing happens.

I slowly open my eyes and look at many brown curls that block my view. I pull my arms away from Mishimas neck and lean back to inspect her face. New tears fall to the ground as I see her sleeping face together with a small, healthy blush.

"You did well." A voice behind me states and destroys my moment of relief. I turn my head to look at Illumi.

"You..." I whisper while standing up. My knees are shaking, but even so I take one step after another, pushing my trembling body towards him.

"Because of you Mishima had to go through this! Why did you hurt her like that? Just to please my father, to speed up my training so that he can use me?!" I shout at him, letting the last bit of anger and frustration out.

Stopping right in front of him I raise my fist and slam it against his chest, but with the little strength left in me it was just a terrible excuse for an attack.

For a moment I stare in his cold eyes which are covered in darkness.

In the end my legs can't hold me anymore and I collapse onto the ground, hitting my head on the floor. I grit my teeth and close my eyes. I'm so pathetic, unable to protect myself or the things that are important to me. Can I ever look into her face again?

Suddenly I feel how something strong lifts me up and I tear open my eyes to find myself in Illumis arms. "W-What are you doing?!" I shout and struggle, but it was impossible to free myself from these strong arms. "Let me go!"

But he ignores me and goes towards the door. "No, I want to stay by Mishimas side!" I complain again, but my words only hit dead ears.

He closes the door behind us and the mossy air of the corridor greets me for another time...

* * *

How did it came to this?

Not long ago Illumi brought me to the bathroom where I had to clean myself. It wasn't easy to do so because of my aching head and bones, but the warm shower helped me to clear my mind.

Everything what happened was coming back to me, the images of Mishima and the mental and physical pain I had to endure.

The water washed my last tears away and every evidence of the salty substance disappeared. It was the only time I could afford to cry the last bits of my sorrow away, after that it would be necessary to rebuild my facade.

Who knows when my father wants to see me to hear from my training? It could happen at any moment and I had to prepare myself for whatever may happen next.

After the shower I dried myself and put on my bathrobe. The mirror above the sink showed me an exhausted girl with puffy brown eyes. I don't remember a time where I cried this much, how frustrating.

As I left the bathroom I was surprised to find Illumi at the same spot where I left him. He took my arm and pulled me to my bed where he ordered me to sit on it...

And this is how I got into this situation where he is kneeing in front of me. His next act confuses me and I slightly tilt my head. Only now I notice the first-aid kid which was standing right beside him on the floor.

He quickly opens the case and takes everything necessary. For one moment his black eyes met my brown ones, then he begins to treat my wounds, starting with the cut on my right hand which I got from his knife.

"First you torture me and now you are looking after my wounds that I got from you? Well, aren't you a nice one." I sarcastically state straightfaced.

Without looking at me he continues to bandage my hand and I narrow my eyes. I watch him using a safety pin to fixate the fabric, then he looks for other wounds he could treat. There are only a few scratches from falling onto the ground and stitches from his needles, so the medical care doesn't take long.

"Tell me.." I begin while staring down at him. "Is my training over now?"

"No." he shortly answers me and I can literally hear my hope shatter. I take a deep breath before asking the next question. "The power I have right now, which I attained through the 'training' with you.. It isn't the power that my father desires, right? What does he want me to do?"

Now Illumi completes the treatment, but stays kneeing on the floor. He raises his head and stares at me. I stiffen at his look and try to keep a blank face, but I can feel that it isn't really easy for me. The darkness in his eyes seems to suck me in, letting me forget to breath for a moment.

 _Thumb._

 _Wait, is my heart..? No, that can't be, that's not possible!,_ I try to convince myself as my heartbeat speeds up. I notice how his hand is still lingering on my wounded one and I can feel how the blood shoots to my head. I quickly break the eye contact to hide my blush and stare at the floor beside him.

"P-Please tell me." I try again, desperate to distract myself from what happened a moment ago.

He slowly lets go of my hand and stands up. I don't dare to look up yet, so I silently wait for his response.

"Your father wants to create the opposite effect of your ability. I think you know what I mean by that." he flatly informs me.

I clench my fist and close my eyes. Of course it has to be something like this. He doesn't want me to reduce the pain.. no, he wants me to increase it. And for what? I'm pretty sure it is so that I can torture everyone who goes against his will, who has important information which my father need.

He wants me to do the same thing that he had done to me.

"Thank you for telling me." I say to him. Now I can prepare myself for the next training.

I notice how he turns to the side and goes to the door. "Tonight there will be guests and your father demands your attendance." he informs me and I look up only to see his back.

"Guests?" I ask confused, this was a pretty sudden and unusual announcement. "I will send you someone who can dress you up." He adds without reacting to my question.

He opens the door and goes outside. Before the door can fall close I can hear his last words. "And don't worry, you are not the only one I will treat today."

And with that it becomes silent in my room. I blink a few times while shaking my head. Wow.. what happened there?

I let myself fall down onto the bed and close my eyes. I really need time to comprehend everything.

So there he is, Illumi, who injured my only friend and who let me suffer the greatest pain I ever felt. I screamed and cried in front of him, something I never did in front of anyone. Then he suddenly starts treating my wounds and tells me that he will look after Mishima as well.

What is all this? And then my stupid reaction to his presence, right now I could really hit myself! I sight in frustration and open my eyes to stare at the ceiling.

I want to leave. To run away from this place of torture and sorrow. Torturing someone? Me? That's not possible. Even if my father wants me to do so, I could never do this to anyone. To let them suffer like I suffered, how could I?

I let out a deep sigh, turn around and crawl to the top of my bed. With my uninjured hand I reach under my pillow and pull something familiar outside. I lie down again and stretch out my arm in front of me. I stare at the joker who is laughing at me and I automatically mimic his smile.

"Its time." I say while placing the joker to my heart. "Hurry up and continue our game, you idiot.." I whisper while sinking into darkness.


End file.
